A slim wooden box with a velvet lining. in it are a number of spiky metal implements.

"Aren't they beautiful Vittorio? I had them made specially. They are torture implements designed to be used on a persons chakras. They live through most of the process. I'm hoping I'll break my personal record on that bitch of Alessandro's."

"One should allways have goals. Will you be ready to move when the time is right?"

"Yes. How goes the tracking?"

" Our Control Stone is worthless in the city. Too many auras are interferring with the signal. We've fallen back on more traditional methods but they require time."

"Not to worry. Soon, Alessandro's stone will be in our hands."

"..."

"What...Do you sense something?"

"She's watching us."

"What? How? She doesn't possess those sorts of powers!."

"I'm not sure...I don't think it's her doing it exactly. THERE SHE IS!"

Rose woke up screaming.

4 am. and completely unable to go back to sleep. certain that she had overstayed her time in London. Had she been careful? Could she leave the country quickly? She packed a bag and then began packing her lab...just in case.

Around morning some of the fear had eased a bit but not much. Rose still felt dangerously exposed. Lucy Chang had stirred from her rest and had come downstairs. She was concerned at the behavior of her host. But she did understand that sometimes a mage lives a life fraught with uncertainty. Even James thought that Rose was behaving oddly.

Morning sun was just beginning to cut through the clouds when a sharp vigorous knock came at the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Asked Lucy.

"Not at 6 in the morning."

A quick peek out the parlor window confirmed Rose's worst suspicions. Standing at a carriage across the street was none other than the redoubtable Count Malvolio Di Castelamarese. The man standing next to him must be a kinsman of some sort probably Vittorio from her dream. They had at least 6 italian looking thugs with them and they seemed intent on breaking down the door.

James being particularly british and bullheaded insisted he was more than capable of handling the blighters. He also insisted they summon the police. Rose and Lucy merely rolled their eyes and told him to keep his voice down. If they broke in. They at least did not know the house and that could work to their advantage. Another set of thugs was spotted at the back door so a window had been selected for a hasty escape.

"Stand away" shouted Malvolio in italian.

Rose felt the gauntlet soften and then heard something glass break against the front door. Then there was a monstrous roar and bright green flame limned the door crack...out to a distance of about a foot.

A decision was made to flee. They left via the window. and began to try to evade the early morning pursuit.

Sadly, Malvolio had peppered and salted the neighborhood with his twisted servitors. A trio of them accosted the mages and set up such a keening that their hunter could not help but hear them being run to ground.

James was borne to the ground by an unsightly monstrousity and sucked dry of his vital essence. Rose was struggling with being cut by a monstrosity of her own. Lucy did well against her Fomor, but it left her dangerously open to being snuck up on by Malvolio himself. He managed to stab the back of her leg with an envenomed stabbing spike in his walking stick. he was rewarded with a very hard shot in the unmentionables.

"Ms Marsden. GO!. I can hold them off. Get help!"

Rose needed a bit of shoving. but eventually she got. She found a corner a block away and drew Thaddeus's card from her pocket.

Meanwhile the battle took it's toll on Lucy. She was forced to retreat down a seperate alley. but eventually she managed to handle her attackers and made best speed for the shop of Mr. Smythe.

Malvolio still had one more card to play though. As Rose was summoning help, He broke another glass globe and released another of his Balefire Elementals to cover his retreat. The monster began smashing and burning it's way across the neighborhood. The monstrosity made for Rose.

Thinking quickly, Rose patted her pockets for a bit of incense that she had intended to use to purify the spiritual polution of Crookes street. She hurled into flaming body of the on-rushing creature.

It's howl of agony shattered every piece of glass in four blocks.

10 minutes later, The group had repaired to the relative safety of Thaddeus's shop. Walter had been summoned and between his magick and Lucy's Do mastery managed to sort out the poison in her system. Rose was in shock. She sat numbly as they ministered to her wounds. Her house, her assistant, her lab and very nearly her life had been taken from her in the space of an hour.

Trying to decide what to do next they began to put out feelers as to what to do. Martin discovered during his reconnaisnace that someone had papered a goodly portion of east london with handbills looking for Ms. Mardsen in conjunction with an inheritance. A reward was offered as well. They even had a printed sketch of her true face and a phone number of a hotel to call with information. Great. Now Rose's well meaning neighbors would be her unwitting downfall. With no Laboratory, Rose's ability to produce magick was sharply curtailed.

...Or was it? Remembering that Alessandro had hidden a map of boltholes and caches inside their painting, Rose remembered that there was at least one in England.

A plan was made to leave the city immediately and go scout the environs of Cambridge. A coach was hired and they slipped out of the city as quickly as they could manage.

They stayed at a inconspicous little inn, and began scouting cambridge the next day. By late that afternnon they were clueless as to where to proceed. Rose kept peeking at the Control Stone to see if Malvolio were follwing them. but it should nothing.

Finally. A clue presented itself. They found themselves at a public fountain with a bit of statuary depicting a group of saxons and normans fighting one another. One of the soldier had a cross in his hand that was wreathed in a rose.

The Rose Cross...an alchemical symbol if there ever was one. It pointed towards an old library adjacent to the church rectory.

The group made for library and discovered a man older than god attending the place. He seemed to want to help but frankly unless the nice people knew what they were looking for he couldn't really help them.

Taking a chance, Rose inquired into a "Special" collection. the old man did admit they had such a collection. Much of it was fancifull stuff about astrology and other oddities that didn't really seem to be a part of the modern scientifical world. Was that what she wanted? It probably wouldn't help her much...it was mostly in Italian.

Italian!

Leaving Fred the dog to guard the coach. They went into the special collection. Finding some intertesting material on the Castelamarese family (borne of demonkind) they still hadn't found the way in. Until someone noticed that there was one Francis Bacon title tucked into the middle of the Italian collection. Pulling on it caused it to click. A stairwell was revealed.

The lab was wondrous. it even contained a full set of Alessandro's working journals. There was also a small cache of the ill gotten gains of Rose's former career.

"Do you see this? I had to hang on the outside of a castle wall for an hour to get this."

As Rose was discovering a block of Gold (real) in the strongbox. Fred was alerting Walter that they had company...then the link went blank.

Sure enough. The Control Stone was showing that Malvolio had moved. was close by in fact. They shut the door and debated what to do. If Malvolio set fire to the library possibly it would destroy the lab as well. Lucy went into the rafters to ascertain the thickness of the roof. It was paper thin (which startled her) but it was still basically wood... and could burn.

They looked for another way out and found one quickly. the decision was made to flee. with what little they could carry.

The escape tunnel led to a gully in field not far from the library. Rose was beside herself and so was Walter (with worry over Fred.) They were trying to figure out how they were going to get back to the carriage when Malvolio, Vittorio, and a half dozen appeared over the lip of the gully.

The group made ready to throw down and make the bad peoples life difficult when they interrupted by a nearby explosion.

"Merdoso!" screamed Malvolio, looking over his shoulder. " Vittorio we must flee!"

The explosion had knocked the pissed off Fomor into the gully, and the group made short work of them while the Castelamarese made their getaway via Correspondence.

The old librarian came over the hill holding a traditional hermetic blasting rod in his weathered hands.

Judging a book by it's cover is not recommended, especially when the librarian in question was Count Allesandro in disguise. Rose nearly fainted.

They took a little walk. Allessandro was sorry for the roundabout way in which the whole affair had unfolded but it simply couldn't be helped. He wanted to explain but he simply couldn't. It was far to complicated and he was not allowed in any case. he could say only that he had undergone a form of sublime tranformation and that would have to be enough. he also argued with some unseen presence which discomfitted Rose somehwhat because her spirit sight showed her nothing in the vicinity...Nothing,

However in some small recompense for her troubles. he gifted her with everything in the laboratory including the journals. But she would still have to crack his cyphers to use them. there was no point in making it too easy.

Allessandro also explained a bit about the Control Stones. They were in fact part of a real ship (not a Metaphor as Rose had erroneaously supposed) But Allessandro had never been able to gain or hold more than one or two at a time. supposedly each had some form of magickal properties.

Taking his leave, he told his student that he would make Malvolio's life difficult for him so that he would leave the country at least for while. He would also transport all that gear back to london for her. "Don't come looking for me cara mia. I am impossible to predict."

Walter was very relieved to discover that Fred had only been gassed and had not been harmed at all. They went back to the library only to find it completely empty...and unfortunately they got pasted by some hanging paradox from all of Allessandro's workings.

Turns out this had a detrimental effect on poor young Walter. On the outskirts of the city, Walter thought he saw his friends Theresa. She rebuked him for the lies that he had told her and told him that they were through. Then she left. The others couldn't see any of this. and they had to forcibly restrain him in order to get him back to the coach.

In the city proper, Walter saw Theresa get run down by a coach. he burst from the coach and ran over to her to help. but his healing powers were of no avail. nothing could save her. he could feel her slip away from him.

His friends stood around him as he wailed. Over the loss of..nothing. as far as they could see.

Has poor young Walter gone mad?